How to Tell a Coworker She Uses Too Much Perfume

To your coworker, Poison is a must have perfume. To you, Poison is simply poison. You gag or get headaches whenever she walks by. Or maybe you're just not a fan of it. Getting your coworker to go easy on the eau de toilette requires some tact, but if you approach the situation delicately you can ask your colleague not to wear too much perfume.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Keep your cool. A coworker who bathes in perfume every morning is bound to get on your nerves--perhaps you see it as selfish or vulgar of her to inflict her odor on everyone else. It's important to approach the situation with a calm head and a polite disposition or else your comments could backfire.
2. Apologize as you approach her for asking her to make a change to her morning routine. Chances are that she's always been heavy handed with the perfume bottle so you are asking her to make a major lifestyle change for your benefit. Realize that as ill as her perfume might make you, you're essentially asking her to alter her personal style.
3. Explain your allergy to perfume, if indeed you are allergic. Tell her that all perfumes sprayed in large quantities make you nauseated, dizzy, asthmatic--whatever your physical reaction might be. This way she won't take it as a personal attack on her choice of scent since your problem is with the quantity she uses not her bad taste in perfume brands.
4. Lie about having a perfume allergy if you don't actually have one. Or state that you are simply hypersensitive to odors like perfumes if you don't have a true allergy.
5. Request that your coworker wear less perfume or none at all. Thank her if she agrees.
6. Ask your supervisor or human resources official to step in if either she does not comply or if you aren't comfortable approaching your coworker in the first place.

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